Almost every New Year’s Eve, my family stays in. As homebodies, we avoid the crowds and sit on the family room floor instead, flipping through childhood photo albums, slowly pressing together the pieces of a new jigsaw puzzle, and toasting the Ball Drop at 9 pm with Martinelli’s.
But this year, after my brother’s friend raved about the Cirque de Soleil that was visiting San Francisco, he and my parents changed their minds about a low-key day. They snagged tickets for the three of them, plus my guy and me, for an afternoon showing. Their logic? The event would still finish with plenty of time for us to head home to our puzzle!
(In case you were wondering… This was the one we worked on this year!)
So we drove into the city late Wednesday morning. After arriving with over an hour to spare, we walked around near the piers, posed for pictures with the Giants baseball stadium in the background, and eventually made our way back to the big blue and yellow striped tent.
We spent the next two hours gasping, clapping, and cheering as the troupe performed their acts. There were a few more traditional ones, like the extremely flexible ladies contorting their bodies into incredible back flips and the two men gymnastically swinging from the ropes hanging from the ceiling, as well as more modern acts like a girl treating a bicycle as a trapeze swinging in a circle from the top of the tent and a group bouncing on a humongous trampoline suspended in midair.
By the end of the show, our mouths were permanently hanging wide open and we joked about how my brother’s New Year’s Resolution would be to run away and join Cirque de Soleil!
But since most people come up with slightly more traditional resolutions like eating healthier, I decided to start off the month with one of my new favorite breakfasts: these Chocolate Chip Banana Bran Muffins! They’re supremely moist—the exact opposite of the stereotypical crumbly cardboard bran muffins. And just look at all of those temping chocolate morsels!
If you’re a regular here at Amy’s Healthy Baking, you’ll know that I already make healthy goodies all year round, but in honor of New Year’s Resolutions and improving our diets after the holidays (I definitely ate a few too many cookies and pieces of fudge!), I’m starting this month with extra healthy clean-eating recipes like this one that contain nothing processed or overly refined.
That’s right! These muffins are made of 100% whole wheat flour and oat bran. They’re naturally sweetened with mashed banana, molasses, and honey. Use the most speckled bananas you can find! The darker, the better. Those contain more natural sweetness, but if yours are more yellow than brown, feel free to add an extra tablespoon or two of honey.
When it comes to bran muffins, I love mine packed with oat bran. I practically treat it like flour, not just another mix-in, so we’ll actually use more oat bran than whole wheat flour in these. However, many muffins with that much bran turn out crumbly and dry—and practically taste like cardboard. But my one simple trick will give you the exact opposite texture.
My secret? Soak the oat bran. Stir it together with the milk, mashed banana, and vanilla, and let that bowl rest while measuring and mixing the rest of the ingredients. That allows the oat bran to soften and makes your muffins extremely tender.
And the chocolate chips… Who can resist those chocolate chips?? I wanted to pick them off of every muffin—they’re my weakness! I use minis because they disperse better and melt more evenly. Plus it ensures more chocolate in every bite!
I always save some chocolate chips for pressing into the tops just before baking as a cute finishing touch, but be careful when slipping the muffins out of the pan. Don’t completely invert them or you’ll end up with a fist full of melty chocolate and none on the muffins! Although come to think of it, that wouldn’t be so bad after all…
I can already tell 2015 is going to be a great year… My dad ate two of these Chocolate Chip Banana Bran Muffins for a snack before we even counted down to midnight. Such a sweet compliment!
So happy New Year, and thank you for making 2014 such a wonderful year at Amy’s Healthy Baking!
| Chocolate Chip Banana Bran Muffins | | Print |
- 1 ½ cup (180g) oat bran (measured correctly)
- ⅓ cup (80mL) skim milk
- ¾ cup (200g) mashed banana (about 2 medium)
- 1 ½ tsp (8mL) vanilla extract
- 1 cup (120g) whole wheat flour (measured correctly)
- 1 ½ (4g) tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp (1g) baking soda
- 1 tsp (3) ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp (2g) salt
- 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted
- ¼ cup (60mL) honey
- ¼ cup (60mL) molasses
- 3 tbsp (42g) miniature chocolate chips
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and lightly coat 10 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the oat bran, milk, banana, and vanilla extract. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, stir together the melted butter, honey, and molasses until thoroughly combined. When the oat bran mixture is ready, stir it into the butter mixture. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in 2 ½ tablespoons of chocolate chips.
- Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups, and lightly press the remaining chocolate chips into the tops of the batter. Bake at 350°F for 19-21 minutes, or until the tops are just barely firm to the touch. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before carefully turning out onto a wire rack.
Soak the oat bran before measuring and mixing together the remaining ingredients. By the time you finish with those, the oat bran will be soft and ready to use.
For a gluten-free version, use certified gluten-free oat bran and the following gluten-free flour blend: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, ¼ cup (30g) tapioca flour, ¼ cup (30g) brown rice flour, and ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum.
For a vegan version, use coconut oil, substitute your favorite non-dairy milk in place of the nonfat milk, and use maple syrup or agave in place of the honey.
{vegan, gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
More bran muffin recipes from other food bloggers…
♥ Blueberry Honey Bran Muffins by Cookie + Kate
♥ Oat Bran Muffins by Spiced
♥ Triple Chocolate Raspberry Oat Bran Muffins by A Brown Table
♥ Jam-Filled Toasted Hazelnut Bran Muffins by Girl Versus Dough
These muffins look delicious, Amy! Perfect for weekend mornings in the winter. 🙂 Thank you for including my Oat Bran Muffins here, too. Happy New Year!
Thank you so much David, and my pleasure! Your muffins looked so good — I wished we could’ve traded, if you had any in your freezer! 😉
These are perfect, Amy! I really need to start eating better. I have a hard time resisting all the bad stuff.
Thanks Jen! Getting back to normal food after the holidays is SO hard. I keep wanting to eat chocolate every other hour — yikes! 😉
Bran muffins bring back good good memories for me … mmh. And while that one time included a very basic bran muffin – and a giant (!) one at that – the addition of banana and chocolate sounds awesome. Not like you could ever go wrong with that combination. (:
Thank you! Giant muffins are always so delicious. My mom made my brother and I share them as little kids, but now I want them all to myself! 😉
Yay they’re up!! I’ve been (im)patiently waiting for these to go up! Question though… Is there anything I can substitute for molasses or do I need to just go but some? I just don’t think I’d use molasses very often…
Yes, they’re here Patti! I made sure they were the first recipe I posted in 2015. 🙂 If you don’t mind buying the molasses, I highly recommend it. It imparts a rich, earthy flavor that no other ingredients can match. (If you like gingerbread-flavored treats, it’s a critical ingredient in those too!) That said, if you really, really don’t want to buy it, you could probably substitute maple syrup instead, but the flavor will be a little different. I’d love to hear what you think of the muffins!
I love how you have made chocolate chip and banana muffins healthy, they are my favourite type of muffin but can be so bad for you! I definitely need to make you recipe.. thanks for sharing it!
Thanks Thalia! I had no idea that was your favorite flavor combo for muffins — how perfect!
I never thought I’d say this, but I am actually excited to try a bran muffin 🙂
Heather, that completely made my day!! You’re the sweetest! 🙂
Amy, I’m trying this recipe tomorrow morning- would it be ok to let the oat bran, milk, banana mixture rest for more than 10 mins…..say overnight?
Me again! Also, in Step 3 you say to stir the oat mixture into the egg mixture….I don’t see any eggs in the recipe. Do you bean butter, molasses, honey mixture instead of egg?
Thank you so much for catching that Kim! Yes, that’s exactly what I’ve meant, and I’ve updated the recipe. I’m not entirely sure about letting the bran mixture rest overnight. I want to say that yes, that would work as long as you cover and refrigerate it, but mashed banana tends to turn brownish in color when chilled in the refrigerator. That shouldn’t affect the taste though!
Thanks for the speedy reply and clarification of the “egg mixture” question! I think I will stick to the 10 mins for resting the oat bran/milk mixture instead of trying overnight…..it’s a short wait while I prep the other ingredients-I always try to prep as much as possible the night before because mornings are sometimes hectic but in this case, I’ll wait! Thanks again….I’ll let you know how they turn out…
You’re welcome Kim! I’m incredibly impressed by how you prep the night before. I need to start that habit — it sounds like a great one to have!
When your bother joins Cirque du Soleil can you get me backstage passes please;P
I really love bran muffins and these sound amazing – I especially love that they’re moist too! And chocolate chips are always a good idea;)
If I get backstage passes, I’ll definitely bring you!
I made these with All Bran cereal instead of oat bran. LOVE THEM!! Think I will add nuts instead of choc chips though! I am T1 diabetic and can eat these for days!!! Thanks! Keep creating these fabulous recipes!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the muffins Janet! Your sweet comment completely made my day. 🙂 I’m really touched!
Oooh well these look scrumptious!! Im sure these would work perfectly gluten-free…I love gluten free oat bran, I never bake with it though!
Must give these a try!
Cute site!
xxxx
Thank you so much Michelle! I hope you enjoy the muffins. I haven’t seen certified GF oat bran before; where do you buy yours?
Hey missus!
I buy Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Oat Bran – they definitely sell it in the states! (I live in Ireland – but have seen it over there!)
I imagine they’d sell it at whole foods? Im not sure exactly, but its Bob who makes it!
🙂
xxx
Thanks for the tip Michelle! Our WF is pretty small, but I’ll stay on the lookout for it. 🙂
I just finished eating 2 of these – they tasted great. I had to use Bran Buds because my grocery doesn’t carry oat bran. I also went dairy free with almond milk and coconut oil. Moist, flavorful and filling. I can’t wait to try your other bran muffins. Once I’m through with the Bran Buds I’ll order some oat bran online and see if it makes a difference. Thanks again for healthy and delicious recipes again and again. I think I’ll try the blueberry bran ones next!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the muffins Jodi! I haven’t heard of Bran Buds before; are they similar to Grape Nuts? My dad used to eat those all the time when I was a tiny girl!
Hi
I was just wondering if you could use wheatbran rather than oatbran for these (and your other) bran muffins. I bought the wrong thing but want to use it up if possible.
Thanks, love you’re recipes, they’re a revelation!
I haven’t worked with wheat bran before Toni, but I’m fairly certain that will work! I hope you enjoy the muffins!
Hi, I’m so excited to make these as a healthier option for my 5 year old’s breakfasts! However, I’m having trouble finding Oat Bran locally. I’ll keep searching, but if I’m unsuccessful, can I use crushed Grape Nuts or something similar?
Thanks!!
You’re such a great mom to bake healthier breakfasts for your 5-year-old Christine! If you can’t find oat bran, I’d suggest using wheat bran (if you can find that) or finely crushed oats instead. Measure out about 1¾ cups of oats (using a light hand with the spoon-and-level method!), and pulse them in a food processor or blender until they’re mostly ground but not quite powdery. I hope you enjoy the muffins!
Sounds delicious, but my husband is gluten intolerant. Do you have a gluten free version?
Thanks
Thanks Heeda! I recommend using certified gluten-free oat bran (Bob’s Red Mill sells it!) and the following gluten-free flour blend: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, ¼ cup (30g) tapioca flour, ¼ cup (30g) brown rice flour, and 1 teaspoon xanthan gum. I hope you and your husband enjoy the muffins!
I am starting graduate school next week & was looking for some healthy, filling, portable foods to take with me on my long days. I stumbled upon your recipe & made these muffins today. My whole family loves them! Perfect snack for me to take to school – and my kids asked if they could bring them in their school lunches! Double win! I think I’m going to try making another batch & freezing them for when things get busy!
I’m so glad you and your family enjoyed the muffins Jenn! And congratulations on starting graduate school too! That’s a huge decision and wonderful path to travel, and I hope everything goes really well for you. 🙂
I love these muffins so much that I was thinking of trying to substitute pumpkin puree in place of the bananas. I’m afraid the molasses might not work with the pumpkin flavor though. Do you think I could use 1 c of pumpkin puree in place of the 3/4 c banana and 1/4 cup molasses?
I’d recommend using my Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bran Muffins recipe instead. It’s really similar to these muffins but already designed for pumpkin purée. 🙂 I hope you enjoy them Jenn!
Perfect! Thank you!
My pleasure Jenn!
Made a batch of these delicious muffins and put them in the freezer. Great snack with my midday coffee at work! I’m tracking calories on my Fitbit. Approximately how many calories and grams of fat are in each muffin?
I’m so glad that you enjoyed the muffins Shari! I always need midday coffee too. 🙂 The full Nutrition Information for all of my recipes is included beneath the recipe box!
I just made these and they are so yummy! I bumped up the banana a little bit and added blueberries instead of chocolate chips. Thank you so much for the yummy recipe!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the muffins Carly! 🙂
There’s no stopping me now that I have your recipe. I never knew you are in SF we visit my husbands cousin there. They live in the city. It’s a very small world after all xoxo
You’re too sweet Beverley — I can’t wait to hear what you think of the muffins! 🙂 Wow, it’s definitely a small world! I actually live about 45 minutes outside of SF… I could never put up with all of the fog the city experiences! 😉
Wow!!! Made these muffins yesterday and they were sooooo good!! I used gluten free oat bran and Pamela’s gluten free baking mix for the flour. They were so moist and perfect. Thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the muffins Trisha! I’m really glad those gluten-free products worked for you! 🙂
Made your carrot cake oat bran muffins last week and they were really yummy!!!! This week I really want to make these banana and chocolate muffins, they sound amazing, however, I don’t know if I am being stupid but I don’t know how to soak the oat bran.. Do you mean put water in it? If so how much? Thank you 🙂
I’m so glad that you enjoyed the carrot cake bran muffins Olivia! You don’t need to do anything special ahead of time to soak the oat bran — you soak it in the milk and mashed banana in Step 2. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these muffins too!
Are oat bran and wheat bran interchangeable in all of your muffin recipes?
Yes, you can use wheat bran in all of my bran muffin recipes. I’m excited to hear what you think of these Helen! 🙂
This muffins are fantastic! and I just realized there were no eggs in it. Now I’m curious why eggs weren’t needed. Don’t all muffin recipes need eggs? Or was the combination of baking soda and baking powder a replacement for egg?
I’m so glad you enjoyed the muffins Erin! The mashed banana acts as an egg replacement, which is why they don’t include eggs. 🙂
Do you think oat flour would work instead of wheat flour?? Thanks 🙂
I think it would work, but the muffins won’t rise and they’ll be denser because the oat flour lacks gluten. Gluten is what allows baked goods, especially ones that rise like muffins, to hold their shape after baking. It’s also incredibly important to measure the oat flour correctly (see how at the link in the Ingredients list if you aren’t quite sure!) because it’s more absorbent than wheat flour. I’d love to hear what you think of the muffins if you try them Kristin!
I love these muffins. I substitute buttermilk for the milk, and I’ve made a version before without chocolate and a fig jam in the center instead. My five year old daughter suffers from chronic constipation as a result of chemotherapy, She’s crazy about these muffins and they really help her digestion!
I’m so glad you and your daughter enjoy the muffins Anna! That means a lot to me, especially that they help with her digestion. I’m truly touched! ♡ If you’re interested, I’ve published many other bran muffin recipes, and you can find them all here. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try any of those too!
Hi Amy! I made these muffins this evening and they are super moist and super delicious! Five star recipe! I am now going to make the lemon poppy seed protein muffins. The protein arrived in the mail today! Thanks a million for all the wonderful recipes!
Awww Carmelina, that means SO much to me!! I’m so glad you loved these muffins too! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what everyone thinks of the lemon poppy seed protein muffins! ♡
These look and sound great ! can i substitute the skim milk for almond milk and the whole wheat flour for oat flour ?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Sara! I’ve actually covered whether non-dairy milks work in the Notes section underneath the Instructions already. It can be easy to miss! 🙂 I don’t recommend substituting oat flour for the whole wheat flour because it’ll make these muffins overly dense, almost like granola bars. I can’t wait to hear what you think of them!
I’ve made these many times now and it is just a great recipe. I never have oat bran so I’ve just used a mix of oats and bran buds, no issues! Also love that this has a very low amount of butter and no sugar, just honey and molasses. Such a great recipe to experiment with add-ins as well. Thanks so much.
I’m so glad you’re enjoying these muffins Catherine! That means a lot to me that you’ve made them many times already. Thank you for sharing that with me! 🙂
I know this is an older post but I thought I’d leave a review for fellow metric bakers. This recipe was a bit of a flop for me. Perhaps I’ll try again using the imperial measurements some day.
I thought the weights for the leaveners looked off, but made the recipe as written. When my muffins did not rise properly I compared to my other recipe books. All my other baking books consider 1 tsp of baking soda to be between 5 and 6 grams, and baking powder to be between 4 and 5 grams per teaspoon.
The other glowing reviews did not say which set of measurements they used, so metric bakers should consider making adjustments before trying this one.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Jenny! Using teaspoons for the baking powder and baking soda should really help you. Many kitchen scales aren’t quite sensitive enough when measuring amounts that small. 🙂
Thank you for sharing they came out yummy- I substituted the molasses with maple syrup..
I’m so glad you enjoyed these muffins Michelle! 🙂
Hi! Do you think peanut butter could be added to this recipe. If so how would you go about it? Btw I love these muffins! I make them for my family almost weekly.
I’m so glad you and your family are enjoying these muffins so much Heather! That means so much to me. 🙂 I haven’t tried myself, but I’m sure you could add a couple tablespoons of peanut butter to the batter! I’d stir it in right before the molasses. I’d love to hear how that turns out!
Hi! I know I’m a little late to the conversation here, but I just came across this recipe and really want to try it – they look delicious! Do you happen to have any nutritional info on these? I have come across lots of “healthy” recipes that turn out not to be so healthy once you break them down. I could try to piece out calories/carbs/fat based on the ingredients, but thought I would ask. Thank you!
Oh my word – I just saw the View Nutritional Information button! Totally missed it the first few times I looked. My mistake – I’m glad you have this info available, that is awesome!
Thanks!
My pleasure Jordan! I’m glad you find that useful. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these muffins!